Indian academia is rife with research and publishing misconduct
In July 2021, the Bengaluru-based National Centre for Biological Sciences withdrew a paper published in Nature Chemical Biology, a premier journal, after discovering instances of data manipulation.
The study, which announced a breakthrough in chemical biology, was withdrawn after being found to have manipulated images.
In September 2024, the journal Drug Safety retracted a study conducted by researchers from Banaras Hindu University on the long-term safety of Covaxin, India’s indigenous Covid-19 vaccine.
The withdrawal was due to concerns that the reported adverse events could lead to ambiguous or incorrect interpretations regarding the vaccine’s safety.
In close to two decades now, faculty members from the premier Indian Institutes of Technology have retracted a staggering 58 papers, primarily due to plagiarism and duplication.
As India strives towards Viksit Bharat 2047 – the goal of becoming a developed nation – strengthening research integrity, research funding and innovation ecosystems will be crucial.
However, rising cases of research misconduct, including plagiarism, data fraud and fake peer review, pose a serious threat to this vision. Research misconduct refers to unethical practices in conducting, reporting or reviewing research.
Such misconduct often leads to retractions. According to Retraction Watch, a global database, common reasons for retraction include fraud and misconduct, ethical violations, errors and mistakes, publication issues, and legal and policy violations. Such unethical practices not only damage the credibility of Indian institutions...
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